


Awfully Sweet

by longhairshortfuse



Series: One Shot Wonders [11]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2015-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-04 05:38:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4127149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longhairshortfuse/pseuds/longhairshortfuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Cecil's birthday. Carlos has a surprise for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Awfully Sweet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BBCotaku](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BBCotaku/gifts).



> Prompt fic. BBCotaku said: Cecil & Carlos, 8 - Awfully Sweet

Cecil could not stay still. He broadcast the traffic standing up, hopping from foot to foot. During the weather he checked his phone more than two dozen times. After announcing how the community had been saved from certain destruction once again, he signed off with a hurried _good night, Night Vale, good night!_ and ran from the booth. 

It was chilly out in the late winter desert town. Cecil paused to put his coat on and let his car warm up for a minute before pulling out of his usual spot, but only because he knew he'd have to pull over and wait for the windscreen to clear of condensation if he did not. That would take longer, Carlos had told him. Apparently it was science.

By the time Cecil pulled into his apartment parking space, he was grinning and giddy. Carlos's sensible hybrid was already in the neighbouring space and the sight of it made Cecil's heart beat a little faster. Carlos, his Carlos was home! Cecil slammed his car door and bounded upstairs to their door. He paused on the mat to wipe his shoes and fumble for the right key. The door opened and a strong hand pulled him inside.

"Happy birthday, Ceece!" Carlos smiled and held out a parcel. "You can open it later if you want, go get changed. Dinner is almost ready."  
"Oh you got me a gift!" Cecil examined the parcel. He prodded it and squashed it and shook it. Carlos laughed and kissed Cecil on the cheek.  
"You want to try to guess what it is? That's so sweet! I bet you can't. Three guesses."  
Cecil took the parcel with him to the bedroom. He removed his work clothes (a particularly striking combination of faux-suede boots, vee-knee purple cords and a wrapover waffle-cotton tunic that he swore was definitely not a bathrobe despite the hotel logo on the top pocket) and put on sweatpants and a teeshirt. 

He poked and prodded and shook the parcel again but it gave no further clues. It was firm but squashy, rustled rather than rattled, pliable but not floppy.

"Can I have a hint?" Cecil called through the open bedroom door.  
"No sweetie, no hints. Use your powers of observation..." Carlos's voice drifted through from the kitchen. Cecil rolled his eyes and picked at a corner of the tape. "...and no peeking! You hear me, honey?"  
"Ugh, oka-a-ay." 

They met in the living room. "Is... it... a... shirt? That one with the butterflies I showed you?"  
Carlos shook his head.  
"Huh. Is it a new throw for my booth? The one with all the scientific sigils on that I said made me think of you?"  
Carlos shook his head. "I feel bad now because both of those would have been better birthday gifts! You're probably going to be real disappointed when you open it now."  
Cecil's face fell into an expression of mock horror. "Oh no! Tell me now... Is it..? Could it be... _underpants?"_  
Carlos laughed. "No, I did not buy you underpants. Your three guesses are up!"  
Cecil shrugged. "Can I open it now?"  
Carlos shook his head. "Nope, your forfeit is that you have to wait until after dinner when you might have forgotten about the awesome things I did not get for you."  
Cecil rolled his eyes, stomped off into the bedroom and yelled into his pillow. He came back to find Carlos laughing and holding the parcel out to him. In five seconds Cecil was holding up his own pristine lab-coat, complete with _Cecil Palmer, Associate Scientist_ embroidered on the front. He squealed and put it on. "I love it! Carlos, this is the best! You are so sweet!"

 

Carlos claimed to have made dinner, but it would be fairer to say Carlos had purchased and re-heated dinner. They sat at the kitchen table with a candle between them, eating straight from the takeout containers and chatting. When they were done, Carlos cleared the table.  
"Close your eyes, sweetie," Carlos insisted. "I have a surprise."  
"O-o-oh?" Cecil closed his eyes and made a show of covering his face with his hands. He heard Carlos opening a cupboard and the clatter of cutlery and plates.  
"Okay honey."  
Cecil opened his eyes.  
"You made birthday cake! That is so cute! Wow, how many candles did you put on?" Cecil took a deep breath and extinguished the inferno.  
"I don't know how old you are so I used two whole packets. I tried to prove it with math, you know, if something is assumed to be true for _n_ you try to prove it for _(n+1)_ and... Oh who knows what's true anyway. Happy birthday, babe!"

Carlos cut a slice of cake and put it between them, two forks resting on the plate.  
Cecil took a bite and swallowed quickly, replacing his fork.  
"You know, maybe we should have cake later. I'm pretty full after that curry."  
"Huh?" Carlos shovelled a forkful of cake into his mouth then clamped his hand over his lips, eyes bulging. Cecil laughed as Carlos struggled to get rid of the confection politely.  
"That is so sweet it's awful! That is the most awfully sweet thing I have ever... ugh."  
Cecil pushed the cake out of the way and leaned over to kiss Carlos.  
"But not as sweet as you."


End file.
